The top layer is punched out so that it leaves space for your production parameter cubes and resource cubes. This helps keep them in place, even when you accidentally bump the table. The new design also has spaces to signify 10 and 20 production, a feature requested by a lot of fans. The player boards remain the same size, so that it doesn’t take more space on the table, but upgraded the graphical design to make them stand out more.
One set contains 5 player boards.
